The Jedi Way: in sickness and in health
by Jedimastersandy
Summary: The bond between Master and Padawan is tested. Will Obi-wan and Qui-gon fulfill the vows of apprenticeship?
1. Chapter 1

Obi-wan sighed and sat back in his chair. The most boring part of flying was always hyperspace. The only thing to do was talk to someone, but unfortunately his Master, the infamous Qui-gon Jinn, was otherwise occupied. He knew he could go back into the common area of their Republic cruiser, but a feeling of impending disaster had plagued him ever since they had left the Temple and he was reluctant to leave the cockpit.  
Several long, unexciting hours later, Obi-wan was jolted awake from his brief nap by the beeping of the console. With practiced ease, he reached out and pulled the lever toward the floor, thus returning the stars to their proper place in the universe. As if on cue, Qui-gon entered the cockpit to witness the exit from hyperspace. Obi-wan turned expectantly toward his mentor for further instructions. In his rumbling baritone, Qui-gon outlined the mission for his teenaged companion.

"The government of the fourth planet in this system has been overturned by revolutionaries. Our mission is to fly into the main port, pick up the senator, and bring him back to Coruscant so he can petition the Chancellor for military assistance." Before Obi-wan could respond with much more than a nod, the comm. unit activated and the panicked voice of Senator Lehc'ar came into scratchy existence.

"Master Jedi, I have been forced to flee to a safe house twenty miles south of the main city. Be cautious when entering the atmosphere." The comm. unit then died in a shower of sparks as a shot from the planet's surface impacted with the bottom of the ship. Obi-wan threw the ship into evasive maneuvers as Qui-gon ran back to the only other seat available and attempted to strap himself in. He had barely succeeded when the ship jolted with another impact on their now-activated shields. The next shot was luckier and slammed into the engine compartment, causing the battered cruiser to freefall toward the planet.

Obi-wan felt the engine give out and instinctively reached out with the Force to slow the ship enough for a landing. He was elated when he felt Qui-gon's Force strength join with his. Slowly the ship came into a semblance of control.

Just then, a final shot from the surface cannons tore through the shields, jerking Qui-gon's crash webbing loose and hurling him head-first into the metal bulkhead. The flash of pain he felt before unconsciousness claimed him flashed across the fledgling training bond to Obi-wan. He gasped and his concentration snapped. The ship gained speed at a very fast rate and before Obi-wan could react, the ship barreled into the unforgiving ground with such force it ripped his chair from its moorings.

After disentangling himself from the now useless crash webbing, Obi-wan stood shakily, calling for his Master. When no answer came, Obi-wan began searching for him. As he stepped into the lounge, he gasped. His Master was laying on the deck, his leg pinned by his fallen chair, and his long, graying hair matted with blood that flowed from a large gash on his forehead. Obi-wan knelt down next to Qui-gon and shook him.

Qui-gon came blurrily awake to his Apprentice's urgent calls. The room did a loop-the-loop, and then settled, revealing Obi-wan's very worried face.

"Master?" Qui-gon groaned and Obi-wan's face lit up with a brief grin. "Hold on. I'm gonna get you out." He then shifted his attention to the chair. He concentrated and used the Force to shove the heavy object off Qui-gon's leg. He wasn't surprised to see his Master's shin bone poking through the skin; the leg was obviously broken. Quickly, but with great care, he tore Qui-gon's cloak into strips and used it to bandage his head and secure two metal beams around the offending appendage.

As Obi-wan hauled the much larger man to his feet, Qui-gon gasped as the room spun and his leg refused to support him. Obi-wan's strong grip on his elbow grounded him and he tried to reach out to the Force to balm his injuries enough for escape, but failed, his concentration shot. To his amazement, he suddenly felt the Force wash over him and blunt the pain. He glanced at his young companion who just looked away, grinning sheepishly. His expression suddenly changed a moment later and Qui-gon's Jedi training kicked in.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, even though the words echoed painfully in his skull like a bad jizz band. Obi-wan just tugged him through the hatch and dragged 

him through the surrounding forest for a short distance before they turned and watched as their only way off this Sith-forsaken planet exploded as it was pummeled by blaster fire by a passing fighter plane.


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to do this last time, but I don't own star wars, even though I wish I did. My thanks to my roommate for putting up with me making her beta this. If anything's wrong, it's her fault. Heehee..

By the time the setting sun forced the pair to seek shelter, the large Jedi Master was half conscious, his body completely supported by his younger companion. Obi-wan was gasping now, barely able to catch enough breath to speak, but forced air into overused lungs to reassure both himself and his Master.

"Let's stop here, Master." Qui-gon barely nodded, registering the words but not the meaning. The Padawan guided his mentor to a small cave, little protection, but still better than nothing. After dropping their gear in the dirt, Obi-wan slowly let his Master down to lean against the wall of the cave, with his broken leg extending somewhat awkwardly in front of him.

On contact with the ground, Qui-gon shivered. He looked up blearily when Obi-wan draped his own cloak over his Master. He tried weakly to push the material away, but stopped when even that slight movement caused his stomach to do flip-flops in sync with the spinning of the world. He groaned his discomfort and reached for the Force to help. He saw out of the corner of his eye Obi-wan sit a little straighter and shift his attention towards him. The Padawan's shoulders slumped slightly when Qui-gon failed, but he dutifully sent a wave of comfort to balm the injuries.

"Stay here, Master. I'm going to go collect some firewood. It feels like it will get colder before it gets warmer." Then he stood before Qui-gon could protest. He shivered slightly as he left the relative warmth of the enclosure and set off to find some dry wood. His task became more difficult a few minutes later when it began to snow. Quickly finishing his chore, the Apprentice went running back to the shelter as fast as his frozen legs could carry him. Once inside, he checked on his Master. Content that he was sleeping soundly, he arranged the sticks to start a fire, fumbling with the fire-starter with cold-numbed fingers. To his delight, the flames leaped joyously from the crackling twigs and he thrust his fingers into the heat, sighing in relief as the feeling slowly came back to his small fingers.

Slinking back toward his Master, he proceeded to shift his not insignificant weight toward the fire, knowing instinctively that if they didn't stay by the fire, they would both perish. Noticing even in the haze of pain the sudden heat that met his chilled skin, Qui-gon turned his pain-dulled blue eyes toward his young charge. Obi-wan read the question in his eyes and shifted closer.

"It's alright Master. Once it warms up in the morning, we'll get going again. Only a few days and we'll be at the senator's house." The elder nodded, and then attempted to sit up straighter, but hissed when the movement pulled at his broken leg. "Sleep, Master. You'll need your strength for our journey tomorrow." He gently sent a sleep suggestion toward his companion through their bond. It slipped smoothly past weakened shields and the great Jedi Master slipped slowly into a restful, healing sleep.

Obi-wan stood once more, trekking out into the two-inch snow to find wood for their only protection against the freeze that descended nightly. He stumbled slightly as exhausted feet failed to lift themselves high enough. Cursing quietly, the student continued his journey toward the weak glow of their fire. The next morning, he jerked awake with a remnant of a shiver as the sunlight kissed his face. His eyes flew toward Qui-gon, flitting worriedly over features slack in sleep. He woke the bigger man with regret and coaxed him into drinking water from the flask the Padawan had managed to hold onto during their brief trek. After the older man drained half, he seemed to remember that he had a companion and refused more, despite the Padawan's insistent pleas.

After regaining his feet, Qui-gon took two steps and promptly collapsed as his leg refused to support him. Wordlessly, Obi-wan pulled his partner's arm onto his shoulder. They moved slowly out of the cave, the Padawan using all the Force he could muster to build a Force-shield around his Master, helping the man remain upright. Throughout the next days, the student, in a reverse of roles, urged the teacher to drink through the fever of his injuries and soothed him with words and soft touches when the pain became too much. At night he stayed awake, against his body's better judgment, to watch the fire and drive away the nightmares.

To be continued… and remember, reviews feed the plot bunny!


	3. Chapter 3

Ah, the end… at last… will they make it?

Squinting blearily into the early morning mist, Obi-wan Kenobi could barely discern the large walled enclosure that had been the focus of their wearying trek. He stiffened when he heard an almost inaudible sound, but relaxed when he realized it was just his Master. He turned around a little too quickly and his head spun, but he shook it off and edged toward the man's sleeping pallet just as the blue eyes fluttered open.

"How're you feeling?" The words were out of his mouth before he could think and the Padawan cringed at the unnecessary harshness.

Qui-gon smiled in understanding. "I'm fine, Padawan. My leg still hurts worse than I wish, but I feel my head is finally healed." He punctuated his statement with a reassuring nudge against Obi-wan's shields. The youngster's appreciation shone in his blue-green eyes.

"We should be at the retreat by nightfall if we don't stop." He then reached his hand toward his companion and helped him to his feet. With a small groan, the elder Jedi shifted his weight and draped a heavy arm around his youth's neck.

As the miles slowly melted away in the heat of the day, the light-hearted conversation between the two companions degenerated to sparse, encouraging exchanges meant to get the two drained travelers to their now much closer destination. Once they were close enough to clearly see the individual buildings of the retreat, they then saw a landspeeder approaching quickly with the senator behind the wheel. He pulled to a stop, gazing in disbelief at the very small Apprentice supporting most of the weight of the 6'3" Master. Popping the doors open, she motioned for the two to climb in. Obi-wan helped Qui-gon climb in, but then refused to get in himself. Qui-gon, however, raked his gaze over his pale, sweating partner and tugged at his hand, causing the young man to plop unceremoniously in a heap next to him. Obi-wan giggled, but very quickly stifled them and sat rigidly, just as a Jedi should. Normally, this would have worried his Master, but Qui-gon was too involved in the pleasure of sitting on something other than rocks and dirt.

Obi-wan refused to relax until his Master had come out of the bacta tank and resting comfortably, or at least as comfortably as possible, in a spare bedroom at the senator's retreat. Given the circumstances, the Council gave the team an extra day to heal from their injuries before returning with the senator. Making sure that Qui-gon was sleeping soundly, Obi-wan stepped out into the hallway and let loose the gut-wrenching cough that he'd been holding in. It knocked him to his knees, head bowed in an attempt to gain his breath. With a shiver, he pulled his exhausted body off the floor and stumbled to the other bedroom where he collapsed on the soft mattress of the sleep couch. Not five minutes later, he launched into another coughing fit that left him gasping for breath, shivering and too hot at the same time. He barely heard the door open, but jumped in surprise when a large, cool hand rested itself on his forehead and a deep voice rumbled for him to lie back.

Qui smiled as the door closed. He wasn't really asleep, but he knew Obi wouldn't go to sleep unless he knew his Master was okay. His grin slipped when he felt a strange discrepancy emanating from his student's end of the bond. Concerned, Qui slowly got up off the sleep couch –his leg hadn't quite healed yet- he followed the younger man toward his guest quarters. Stopping just outside the door and listened but heard only peace. Just as he turned, though, the peace was shattered by a series of coughs which made his heart ache in sympathy. He palmed open the door and found his student hunched over in despair.

When Obi didn't react, Qui walked over and, after spotting the flush dotting both cherub-round cheeks, placed his large hand gently on the burning forehead. His student turned slightly, but obeyed his soft-spoken command to lie down. The lethargic way in which he obeyed concerned the older human more than he cared to admit. Gently, Qui loosened the sleep shirt clinging to the student's sweat-soaked toso, then laid calloused palms on his chest and channeled the Force in order to determine exactly what was ailing his Apprentice and he exhaled slowly. Sometime during the arduous trek, the boy had depleted enough of his energy that his shields had dropped and now the youth was developing pneumonia.

Striding over to the comm. unit, he paged the senator to send the healer. He then traveled into the 'fresher and returned to the bedside. When he placed the cool cloth on the fevered forehead, Obi whimpered and tried to push the cloth off, but Qui captured the offending hand in his reassuring grip and the fevered youth clung to it with desperation. The Master allowed the grip, but pried the hot hand away when the door chimed, announcing the arrival of the resident healer. Qui answered the door with half attention.

After assessing that Obi did indeed have pneumonia, the healer administered an antibiotic but unfortunately, the only fever-reducer available was one that Obi was allergic to. The Master was going to have to lower the fever without the aid of drugs. He mentally prepared himself for a very sleepless night. He sat heavily in the chair next to the bed and sighed loudly.

Obi turned toward the sound and whispered. "S….sorry." Qui leaned closer and indicated for Obi to continue. "I… I'm sorry… I'm so sick."

Qui raised one eyebrow. "Why? It's not your fault you're sick."

"I know. But…now you…won't…get sleep." The quiet confession was punctuated by a long coughing fit.

Qui couldn't sit and do nothing, so he picked up the ailing child and held him against his chest. It seemed to help, as the fit passed fairly quickly. Qui connected to the bond to send comfort to the feverish young man and was bombarded by memories that leaked past the boy's shields, weak from illness and hardship. The memories were of the journey that he could barely remember. He saw the sleepless nights, the siphoned energy, to keep the injured Jedi on his feet. He saw the Padawan's robe, the only protection the boy had, given to the one who was deemed more in need of the warmth. His 

love for the amazing child multiplied ten-fold and he held the child, his precious Padawan, tight through the long night, soft touches and soothing words warding off the nightmares- -in sickness and in health.

Thank everyone for sticking with me through all this… let me know what you think of it. It will feed future plot bunnies…


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